


Mega Man RS:Season 3

by DecalinetheSpaceCat



Series: Mega Man-The Missing Episodes [1]
Category: Mega Man (Cartoon 1994), Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, Blood and Violence, Canon - Cartoon, Canon - Comics & Cartoon Combination, Canon Continuation, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Mega Man (Cartoon 1994) - Freeform, Mild Sexual Content, Robot Feels, Robot/Human Relationships, Robotics, Robots, Sexual Humor, Slow Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27564448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecalinetheSpaceCat/pseuds/DecalinetheSpaceCat
Summary: Rewrite of the Missing Episodes. Seasons 3 of the Ruby Spears series. Covers Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 6. More Robot Masters, dangerous threats, and action await the Blue Bomber as he begins to wrestle with both his meaning for existence as well as the questions on what's right and wrong. 1st of the 'Seasons' series.
Relationships: Blues | Proto Man & Forte | Bass, Dr. Cossack & Kalinka Cossack, Dr. Light & Dr. Wily, Forte | Bass/Roll, Rockman | Mega Man & Roll
Series: Mega Man-The Missing Episodes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014837
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. The Strange Case of Dr. Cossack Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note: So...yeah. This is a rewrite. Now, you might be thinking 'what? But you've got 61 chapters of your original already written! Why start over?' or 'it was fine! Why begin again?' Well, the decision is one that I've thought long and hard over for a few days (well, actually months), and frankly, I've come to the conclusion that I simply don't like what I've written.
> 
> I hate to read through the original, as while no one's work is, nor should be perfect, I feel there's just too much wrong with it for me to be comfortable to continue with any future installments. For one, things drag on way, WAY too long. And are way, WAY too long. This was in the phase where I thought that anything below 10,000 words was too short. Good God, how did I manage all those words? Not to mention, some things made no sense or were nonsensical. Yes, the original show had stupid moments as many do, yet there's only so far the suspension of disbelief can take you. There are things that are brought up only to never be mentioned again, and don't serve anything. Also, the errors. Oh God, the errors. It seems Word doesn't catch everything. I'm much happier using Google Docs now.
> 
> I could go on and on and on, yet we'd be here all day, and this A/N would take up a full page. So, without further ado, let's get this rolling.
> 
> Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed the original fic, and I hope to see you all and hear from you for this next installment.

Bored.

Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored.

Though if that were the case, she would've been better off than she was now.

"I'll take that if you're finished, Miss." a robot garbed in butler attire said, his expressionless face a testament to what he was created for.

"Do it." she commanded, the servant taking the plate of a devoured mille-feuille, nothing but crumbs and a fork remaining. She probably shouldn't have eaten it, having tried to watch what she took in, yet lately, it seemed eating was one of the main things to do when her emotions got too much to deal with.

She was a young, teen girl, fifteen, nearing sixteen, with medium length, golden blonde hair curled and permed into a fluffy look. It resembles a hairstyle one may find in the 1950s with some modern additions, as her bangs were full and lively. She had large, peridot green eyes and her skin was pale due to the environment she was in. She wore a red, vest top with a medium sleeved, collared shirt underneath, a dark skirt, and dark tights with red bedroom shoes on. A dark headband rested atop of her head, easily able to be seen despite being somewhat buried by her full hair. Large, blue orbs served as her earrings. Her body was somewhat chubby and she had a small bit of a stomach to her, her cheeks somewhat round, but overall, she kept herself well dressed and her appearance up, despite the fact no one from the outside world would see her.

The princess of this little corner of the Russian Boreal Forests, the largest forested area, not only in the country or Europe, but the entire world, larger than that of the Amazon. Her country was home to more than one-fifth of the world's forests, yet the Boreal Forests held relatively few tree species, mainly composed of birch, pine, spruce, and fir. The trees towered over all other forms of flora, swamping the area in a thick, dense brush that, if one had no idea where they were going, would undeniably get lost. She compared it to a forest outside of one of the fairy tales from the books that littered her shelves, and in a way, it was. Only a few remote living areas remained around here, barely the size to count as towns, and they were a good few miles away. In the dense woodland rested several animals, both harmless and dangerous: from the typical finches and swallows to that of eagles and owls, brown bears, moose, wolves, foxes, and reindeer. And most importantly, the two apex predators of the area, wolverines and the Siberian tiger.

She had never seen such creatures first hand, however, only in her books. In fact, she had mostly seen the world itself through books and television. Her 'castle' was a large abode hidden in the depths of the forest, a three-story house (one section being underground) that was constructed to look like a traditional izba on the outside. It was a log house with a two-sloped roof and multiple, vertical, rectangular windows in the front, the roof a deep brown while the front was a pale, red color, the front end of the roof's edge was shaped in that of a horse's head. Only, unlike the izba of old, no sacrifice of a chicken had to be made when the house was built (and its head stuffed under the floorboards), nor did a cat have to go into it for luck. It held white linings that resembled intricate lace around the windows and railing of the ceiling, and bore a large fence around the perimeter, making sure that, unless the guards outside were dealt with, no one was getting in or out unless the one inside wished them to.

Having had as much as her stomach could take (maybe she shouldn't have eaten so much pirozhki), the young woman went up to her room, going up a long flight of wooden stairs and opening a white door. Inside lay a large room of white with red curtains and a velvet, red bed. An equally red rug lay on the wooden floor, contrasting heavily with the walls, which were painted white. Shelves upon shelves lined her room, containing various objects such as dolls (including the country's famous matryoshka dolls) and books that she had read all throughout her youth, mainly containing that of fairy tales. Though there were also geography books, books detailing the cultures and sights of different countries, and a book detailing the United States on her bed, she went over to read that. Currently, she was researching New York City, having gone through the history and modernization it underwent throughout the years. It was quite the contrast to where she was, she still felt a princess inside a castle hidden away from the world.

And in a way, she was just that.

The book she was reading was in English, having bought two copies of the same book, one in her native language, and one that was most commonly spoken in the area she was researching about. True, she had researched about several other states of the country, yet New York seemed to fascinate her the most. And doing some more digging, she even found a place not unlike here, at least to an extent. Brighton Beach, just a short distance away from Coney Island, was a neighborhood that consisted of Russian and Ukranian immigrants. Those who have gone there affectionately called it 'Little Russia', and looking at the snapshots in the book, she saw that indeed, it looked very much like a quaint little village or town from her home.

At least, from what she had seen on television. Not once had she set foot outside of the perimeters of her 'castle'.

Well...regardless, she would go there someday. Along the shelves, a book detailing how to learn English sat, and she had ordered a program from online to teach her the language. She had started when she was a few years younger, and while it took her awhile, she learnt the language, now able to speak and read in both Russian and English. Immediately, this gained the questioning of her father, her dear Papa. Her Papa questioned why she wished to do such a thing, as all she needed was right here. Here in this house. This house, hidden away from the rest of the world, in a dense woodland. Hence the tons of books she had, books of the outside. It was through these and television that she would see what lay beyond the walls of the house and forest. Only her Papa got to see the outside world.

But soon...soon, that would change. She would see to it. She didn't know what she would have to do, but she would make her Papa see that she could and WOULD go outside. She was prepared. She was ready. She was ready to show the world who Kalinka Cossack was.

TAP! TAP!

She nearly leapt out of her skin upon hearing the tapping at the window, yet upon looking as to the source of it, she calmed down and mentally kicked herself for getting so worked up. She lifted herself up off the bed and went over to the window, letting the one outside in and shutting the window quickly to not let the chilled, night air in. What flew in was a robotic bird that was spherical in shape and blue. It bore a large, yellow bill akin to that of a duck, yet its feet were shaped like that of birds of prey. The robot had large, green eyes and a raised, white section on the top of its head, a raised diamond shape on its forehead.

"You took your sweet time." she, Kalinka, told the bird, the thruster on his backside still warm from the distance he traveled to here. "Any word?"

"Beat." the bird chirped, as if to say 'It takes time to fly from place to place, you know.' Ultimately though, the bird, Beat, shook his head in response to her question.

Kalinka's features fell. "So...he hasn't called anyone? Not even Babushka?"

"Beat…" the bird sighed, shaking his head again. Well, that shot that bit of hope down. "Beat, beat, beat."

"I can't understand you, you know." Kalinka said. "You're going to have to be more clear than that."

The bird then hopped on her desk and took a pencil and a paper and drew a near exact replica of himself, only this bird had a bow atop of its head. The blonde groaned. "No. I'm NOT making your a girlfriend. You know I'd get in trouble."

"Beat?" the bird pleaded, putting his wings together as if they were hands clasping each other. His eyes then grew big and wide, nearly taking up all of his joined sclera.

The blonde sighed. "Well...I CAN maybe, just maybe, suggest the idea to Papa." though knowing him, if he didn't see any reason for it to be useful, he wouldn't do it. Let alone let her do it. Then again, she had been able to work around a lot of his restrictions. After all, while the servants and guards were programmed to repair themselves should they need tuning up, she took advantage of her position over them and commanded them to let her do the tuning herself. So far, she was able to cover her tracks well, making sure to put her Papa's books back on the shelves where they belonged, as well as leaving the lab the same as when he left it. Besides, as long as he didn't have the need to ask, then her command to keep the servants quiet would go unchallenged.

Nevertheless, her Papa's lack of messages back and forth troubled her, having not heard from him. And a few weeks wouldn't strike her as odd, her father's line of work requiring him to be quite busy, especially since he was an asset to her country's government. He made no secret about hating those that ruled over him, yet nonetheless, he had to do it. In a way, they both were trapped. Yet at least they could still contact each other. But now, Kalinka hadn't heard from her Papa for at least a month. And even more, Beat couldn't find him, the tracking device he had on his person at all times that allowed the bird to find him having been either shut off...or destroyed.

Yet for what reason would he have to do that?

Unless...no. She shook her head. No, impossible. He...he couldn't have been. Could he?

"Beat?" the bird chirped, yet he gained no response from his creator's daughter. "Beat!" He then took some of her golden hair in his bill and gave it a tug.

"Hey, ow! Ow!" Kalinka took the lock of hair out of his mouth and surveyed it to see if he did any damage. Lucky for him, he hadn't. "Go tell Babushka that Papa hasn't contacted me yet. And be quick about it."

"Beat." the blue bird responded, as if to say 'Aren't I always?'. With that, she opened the window and he spread his wings, the thruster on his back heating up. He then lifted off, flying up and high in the air, disappearing in the dense brush outside of her home. Her castle, into her forest. Out of her kingdom.

Her kingdom she couldn't escape from.

**The Next Morning**

She yawned and looked at the clock, it being thirty minutes until noon. Well, at least she managed to wake up earlier than last time at least. Though she wanted to sleep just a little more…

"Miss?" a knock at the door alerted her someone was entering, a butler dressed robot entering the room. "Pardon the intrusion, yet your father requested that you not sleep past noon."

Kalinka yawned in response, stretching out her arms. "Yeah, yeah...I know." he then set a tray on her bed, a plate of freshly made blini with sour cream and cranberry sauce. "Thanks." she thanked the butler, then shooed him off. "Now, let me enjoy this in peace."

"Of course, Miss." With that, the butler left, leaving Kalinka to eat her breakfast.

* * *

Another yawn came before she put the toothbrush in her mouth, her mouth quickly becoming foamy with toothpaste. She went through the morning ritual, brushing her teeth, brushing through her messy hair, putting quite a bit of hairspray on it, and making sure her makeup was acceptable. Even if the servants would still say she was beautiful, she wanted to at least look good to herself.

Despite trying to decide what she wanted for lunch or wanted to watch or read today, Kalinka's mind still traveled back to her Papa. Just what kept him to where he wasn't talking to her for an entire month? Even more, Beat couldn't find any trace of him. After she had gotten ready and dressed, she went downstairs to a secluded room that displayed a map of the forest, several cameras spread out throughout the area and capturing various points, both near and far from the house. "Get up." she commanded the butler in the chair. "I want to see something."

Doing so, the butler rose and let her in the seat, she sat down and brought up the world map. She centered on the island of Japan, most importantly, around the Sea of Japan (or the East Sea) and the Japanese Alps. She didn't know where, but it was around this area that she last heard from her Papa. She remembered well because he was telling her of how the town he was in, a town called Kanazawa, was one of the best representations of the Edo period of the country, as Kalinka was currently reading about Japan at the time, though it was more on the side in comparison to that detailing the USA. Yet it was around there that the tracking device put onto his person went off. Beat was unable to track him anymore, and when he went back to check on where he was staying, he was nowhere to be seen. There were no signs of a struggle, yet the whole thing reeked of some sort of kidnapping. She didn't wish to say it, yet now, it seemed she couldn't put it out of her mind. While she hadn't heard a word of it, everything outside of her books and television out of reach, she was certain that he was being searched for. He had to be, he was famous after all, though this brought several theories to mind as to who could've taken him.

So far as she knew, and he told her little about his line of work, as if he were worried about something 'rubbing' off on her (too late for that), yet as far as she did know, little as it was, her Papa didn't seem like the type of man to have many rivals. So, if not out of jealousy, then who? And why?

"Miss!" a butler suddenly rushed into the room, a large wound in his chest, exposing several of his inner workings.

"What the?!" Kalinka rose from her seat, clearly shocked. "What's going on?! What happened?!"

The servant bot was beginning to shut down from the blow dealt to him, his system going on overdrive as, while it didn't pierce through, his core had been dealt a heavy blow. "R-Run…"

Run? Run where? What was he talking about? "I…" Kalinka stammered, not entirely comprehending what was happening. "I...I'll phone the police-" there was no phone in the house, and she wasn't allowed to have a cellphone of her own. Beat was her main source of delivering any sort of message, and currently, he was out.

"You...you have to leave." the servant choked out, fluid trailing down his chin. "They're already here…"

**Outside**

The security stood no chance, the Egyptian based Robot Master blasting forth a wave of solar powered heat. The blast of highly concentrated energy effortlessly tore through their midsections, melting the metal and separating their upper halves from their lower. Legs twitched and those that could still move reached for their plasma pistols to make one last effort to beat back the intruders. No such luck, as another of the Egyptian robot's partners came up, the large lightbulb atop his head flashing bright and overloading everyone's optical circuits, rendering them unable to act save for trying to shield themselves from the light. Then, during this moment of distraction, many were taken aback by a ring, that was very much acting like a chakram, sliced through their necks, separating the heads from the bodies, stopping all efforts from them to act further, the separation of their CPU from the rest of them rendering them unable to do anything.

"Everything taken care of?" a voice suddenly asked from afar, a red helmeted, scarf wearing android with notable, dark shades coming out from the brush behind the three.

Pharaoh Man nodded. "It is done."

Bright Man surveyed their handiwork, unable to keep the grimace from coming to his face. Indeed, it seemed even Proto Man wasn't entirely prepared for the 'efficiency' of the other two. "They were weak." Ring Man simply said, giving one of the disembodied heads a small tap with his foot. "For that, Cossack led his own child to her fate."

"Enough idle talk." Pharaoh Man suddenly spoke up, voice deep and smooth. "Let us enter the mansion."

"Hey, just a second there, pal." Proto Man spoke up, getting ahead of the Robot Master. "Need I remind you, I'M the one Wily put in charge of this whole operation."

Pharaoh Man's eyes narrowed. "I answer to the orders of the Doctor." Despite being but a few inches taller (mainly due to his blakc and gold nemes), the Egyptian robot seemed to use this (along with several other qualities) as a means to say he was above the scarf wearing robot. He then shoved Proto Man out of the way, going through the collection of beheaded guards. "Not you."

Ring Man went close behind, leaving Bright and Proto Man alone. "Well...y'know…" the stout Robot Master began, fiddling with his hands. "I think that you're a good-"

"Let's get this over with." the other robot got out, Bright Man growing rather offput and nervous from the other mechanical being's demeanor.

"Oh! Uh...s-sure! Yes sir!" the Robot Master said. "By the way, you did good in getting us here. Well, you and Wily. It wasn't easy, but you-"

"Get going!"

Bright Man needed no more convincing. He darted into the large house, leaving Proto Man alone, not even looking at the multitude of downed security bots at his feet. Truth be told, he hadn't been feeling too good as of late, a long having been on his processor as of late.

Much of which started after the incident where a certain Mitchell Deacon was a candidate for governor of New York.

**Inside**

**Kalinka's Room**

"Ow! You're pulling too hard!"

"Sorry, Miss. But you must hurry."

"You know, I can dress myself-"

"Shh! Not so loud, Miss!"

Currently, the butler bot was placing a medium sized, thick red coat with golden buttons and darkly colored fur linings on her person, a pair of boots already on her feet. Granted, they were ugs, but it was mainly because they were her favorite. A thick cossack hat (ironic, she thought) was placed atop of her head, and she was, to her surprise, handed a plasma pistol. "What...what is-"

"Most of the security's been wiped out." the butler said. "And the intruders have already entered the house." he then gestured to the balcony outside of her room. "You have to go into the woods."

Kalinka understood what he was saying, there was a town outside the woods. A town that was a good few miles from where they were, yet still, it was there. In fact, it was where her Babushka lived. The only thing was, "Which way is it?" She asked. "How am I supposed to know where to go?"

The butler was about to answer, yet was momentarily interrupted by the sound of loud clattering below. "It's west of here. The people there know your father and grandmother. Tell them that you're his-" he then paused, remembering the VERY specific command put into his hard drive. "No." he shook his head. "Instead...instead, tell them that you're looking for a Mrs. Cossack that lives there. You'll surely be directed to her house."

"What?" Kalinka was confused. "I don't get it. Why can't I tell anybody about Papa? If they know Babushka, they probably know me! She's probably told them all about me, I bet!" a small bit of levity came to the scene. After all, Kalinka thought, who WOULDN'T want to hear about the daughter of a world famous scientist? Papa probably bragged about her too, surely!

After all, why wouldn't he?

"Just please, Miss, do it." the butler pleaded, looking back as the sounds were heard growing closer and closer. "Here," he then grabbed a bedsheet from her bed and handed the other end to her. Then, he brought her and it outside. "I'll lower you down."

"What?!"

"Hurry! You must climb down!"

"I...I can't!" Kalinka protested, looking down and immediately getting a sense of vertigo. "Im-" she got no further, a keycard that she would need to get through the fence being shoved into her hands. The noises only got louder.

"Go!" the butler said, drawing out a plasma pistol that he had gotten from the racks down below. "I'll try and buy you some time."

Kalinka was at a standstill. She had a way out, yes, but where to? The butler bot had outright stated the town was miles away, and she didn't need much to understand what would happen to him soon. "But…" she stammered, unsure of what to do. Yes, she was eager to get out of here. "But what about…"

They were nearly here. "Go!"

She had no other choice. Maneuvering her way over the railing, albeit slowly, outright giving a shriek as she lost her footing and would've fallen had she not had a firm grasp on the sheet. The butler lowered her closer and closer to the ground until she could land safely. Albeit, she landed and fell right on her ass. The blonde took a few moments to rub her now sore rump, yet immediately got up and rushed to the border around the house when she heard shots being fired. Sliding the key card through the slot, the fence's back entrance opening and allowing her to bolt forward, she ran into the thick, dense forest outside, disappearing in the sea of trees.

…

The butler fell, the upper part of him melted into little more than scrap metal, only his torso and legs remaining. Pharaoh Man surveyed his handiwork with pride, giving Proto Man only a passing glance as he raced on the balcony and looked at the forest ahead. Then, he noticed the barrier had been opened. "Damn!" he cursed. "She's escaped!"

Bright Man looked as well. "Oh no…" he bit his lip. "Now what?"

"What do you mean 'now what'?" Proto Man said. "We go after her, that's what!" he then turned to Pharaoh Man. "If you and Ringy there hadn't insisted on showing off with those other bots, then we would've caught her!"

The Egyptian Robot Master scoffed. "It is not my concern if your skills are insufficient. You, who can only duplicate and mimic my natural abilities." he then pushed his way to the front, his cape dancing in the light, chilled breeze of the area. "Now come." he ordered. "Our quarry is getting away." he leapt downward and dashed off into the woods.

"Hey! Don't leave me!" Bright Man complained, climbing over the balcony, only to fall on his round rear end, much to his embarrassment. Ring Man man scoffed while Proto Man only moaned, shaking his head.

Both of them leapt off and hit the ground, Ring Man going ahead, yet stopped upon seeing Proto was not following. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, puzzled.

"Nothing." the scarf wearing robot responded.

"Well, I'm not waiting around for you. I can do this without you." with that, Ring Man left him alone.

Proto Man would've shot back some sort of remark, yet right now, he just wasn't feeling it. Today...today, he was just feeling off. Everything seemed to be feeling off since that day. True, he had gone on with Dr. Wily's schemes and whatever else the madman had planned, yet with time, he found that the one particular incident remained in his processor and refused to go away. Not that it could, if he wanted it to truly disappear, he'd have to have it erased from his memory bank by hand. And he wasn't about to let Wily touch him there. Anywhere but there.

'Damn it. Let's get this over with.' he began his trek into the forest.

Speaking of, where was their fifth comrade? He had come with them on the trip here, being dropped off by the Skulker (Wily clear that they were to be back soon, lest the authorities be alerted due to the distress signals the alarms would inadvertently set once they went in), yet he then took off ahead of them. He hadn't been seen since, yet Proto Man doubted that he would just up and abandon this mission, not after displaying such eagerness to go on it before they were debriefed.

Just where was he?

**Later**

She had to stop for a moment. Despite the chill in the air, she was burning up, and that was the least of her troubles at the moment. She had to admit that she was completely lost and with no sense of direction. True, she had tried to go in the direction the butler bot had instructed her to, yet ultimately, everything out here looked the same. The trees blending into one another, the chittering and chattering of the birds above melting into an overwhelming crescendo that made her lose focus, and if that wasn't enough, she was sure that she had forgotten something important in her haste!

What was it? She wasn't supposed to tell someone something...something about her and her Papa...or her Babushka...but what?

Suddenly, the tree parallel to her was sliced through by what appeared to be blasts of energy, the dismembered portion of the trunk landing by her with a resounding impact that shook the whole area. Turning around fast, Kalinka saw a scarf wearing robot emerge from behind a tree, he then casually leaning against it. "There you are." he said. "For a human, you gave us quite the run around."

Kalinka took in deep breaths, her breath able to be seen due to the low temperature. "You…" she wheezed out, tired from her running. "I...I've seen you. You belong to Wily." she noticed, to her surprise, his once present smirk falter, as if he disliked what she said. "Well…" she then pointed her plasma pistol in his direction. "What are you doing here?"

"Aw, look at you." Proto Man chuckled. "Little princess thinks she's a big girl now."

"I...I mean it!" she warned, her grip sweaty and not exactly tight. "I'll shoot!" she backed up, aiming. "N-Now answer me!" she demanded. "Why are you here!?"

"Looks like your dear daddy's marginal intelligence didn't rub off on you." Proto scoffed, her face contorting upon hearing him insult her, let alone her Papa. "Isn't it obvious? We're here for you." Pharaoh Man, Bright Man, and Ring Man then appeared, the four gazing upon the blonde girl, her nervous, green eyes surveying them all.

"W-Well…" she stammered. "I'm not going anywhere. Especially with you."

Proto Man chuckled. "Sorry to say, you don't have a say in this, princess." he answered, then pulling out what appeared to be a cloth of some kind, the chemical smell coming off of it indicating clearly what it was meant for. "So, we can do this the easy, or hard way. Ultimately, I'll leave the decision to you."

"To me?" Kalinka glared, her grip on her only means of defense tightening. "Well...my decision is...poshyel k chyertu (go to hell)! She pulled the trigger, a blast of hot, red plasma emitting from the pistol.

Unfortunately for her, the four robots managed to evade her blast easily, Pharaoh Man appearing right in front of her in a flash. "Your attempts to resist are futile." he told her, voice deep and smooth, though it brought her no comfort. "Now, you will come with us."

Kalinka backed up, yet despite her fear, she realized something about the Robot Master. "You." she declared. "Papa...I've seen you in his notes-" she got no further as he reached for her, she in turn ducking out of the way and running away from him. He sent out his Pharaoh Shot, striking the tree ahead of her to cut her off. She ran in another direction, only for Ring Man to come out. "And...and you! Papa, he made-" she was cut off however when he too made a grab for her, planning on making a pair of cuffs out of his rings for her and to slip it on her wrists. She backed away and began firing, the blast hitting the makeshift cuffs and blowing them back, allowing her to make her way away. A ring tore through a sizable tree trunk that cut her off, forcing her to go another direction, nearly tripping and losing her footing. "Beat, where ARE you?!" she cried out, then being blocked off by Bright Man.

"Here!" the stout Robot Master said. "You seem confused. Allow me to put 'light' on the situation!" his bulb then began to glow. Knowing well what would happen from what she had read in her father's notes, she took her dark, thick hat and covered her eyes, shielding them from the blast of light that consumed everything within a large radius. She was essentially nearly blind, yet with some effort, she ducked and hurriedly crawled her way in between his legs, escaping him. "H-Hey!" he called out, clearly embarrassed, closing his legs. If he could, his face would've been bright red. "Come back!"

Lifting up her hat, Kalinka found herself running right into a tree, being knocked to the ground. "Ow…" she moaned, holding her sore temple.

"Looks like you took a bit of a bruising there." she heard, seeing Proto Man once again leaning against a tree. She only glared at him, pointing her pistol at him. "Do you even know how to use that thing properly?"

"I…" she began to stammer. "I can hit you right between the eyes if I wanted to!" she then fired, it going right above his head. "That was just a test shot!"

"Listen, I'd like to sit and watch you make a fool of yourself all day too." the scarf wearing robot said. "But the old coot's waiting on us, and we sorta need to get out of here before those nice men monitoring your location come by and pay us a visit."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Kalinka said definitely.

"Sorry, but maybe you missed the part where I said you don't exactly have a choice." with that, he lunged forward. Kalinka shot a blast, yet he ducked under it and seized her by the wrists, effectively pinning her to a tree. The blonde girl immediately struggled and fought back, kicking frantically with her legs, yet she felt as if she were kicking against one of the thickened trunks of the trees, her efforts all in vain. Then, she lifted her left leg to strike right in between the robot's legs. Only for nothing to happen. Save for the wave of pain that overcame her calf and foot. "Oh please." Proto Man scoffed. "Sorry to say, but metal's the best cod piece there is."

This was bad. She was trapped! What could she do now?!

"BEAT!" Suddenly, a blue wave came down from the trees immediately attacking Kalinka's captor.

"Beat!" she cried out in surprise and relief, Proto Man being forced to release one of her wrists to deal with the continuous pecks of the blue bird.

"That's it!" he shouted. "Eat this, Tweety!" he shot forth a blast of plasma, aiming right in the blue bird's direction. The bird dodged each shot thrown in his direction, yet it was then that Proto Man noticed a particularly thick branch high above. Blasting in that direction, the branch plummeted to the ground, catching Beat and sending him to the ground.

"Beat!" Kalinka shouted, reaching for him only to be pulled back by her captor. "Let go of me!" she began punching at his face, the synthetic skin making it far easier on her than striking the rest of him, but still, it had no effect. She grabbed at his cheeks, audio units, his neck...until her hand caught his yellow scarf. It was then that she noticed, despite his thick, heavy shades, his expression changed.

"Keep your hands off that!" he ordered, Kalinka not entirely understanding, but nevertheless, she was going to take the opportunity given to her.

"Why?" she asked, tightening her grip on it.

"Let go!" he demanded, his focus completely off Beat now. His grip on her other wrist began to loosen, distracted by how his personal possession was being toyed with. Then, she pulled it and the piece of cloth unwound from around his neck, coming off and exposing the grey metal underneath. "Y-You brat!" he shouted, reaching for it, letting her go.

She then balled the piece of cloth up and threw it, it getting caught up in some branches not too far up above. "You want it, go get it!" she shouted, taking the opportunity and going to get the branch off Beat.

"Beat!" the bird shook his head, urging her to run.

"No!" she retorted. "I'm not leaving-"

"BEAT!" she saw Proto Man lunging for her, she leaping out of the way. She gave the blue bird a look and bit her lip.

'I'm sorry.' it seemed she had no choice. Getting to her feet, she dashed forward, Proto Man, despite the mission he was assigned, was torn between whether to go after her or his scarf.

Kalinka ran and ran and ran, realizing, to her horror, that she left her plasma pistol back where she had once been, yet it was too late to go back for it now. She was no better than when she had first entered this place. Perhaps now she was even worse off! She had to stop for a moment to catch her breath, the human teen wheezing. Looking around, she couldn't see anyone, yet nonetheless, she still felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She wasn't alone. "H-Hell-" she put her hands over her mouth. The hell did she think she was doing?! She had just up and given herself away! Suddenly, some rustling was heard, Kalinka darting her green eyes in the direction she heard it.

Nothing.

More rustling was heard, yet it seemed that no one was there. Was it just some of the animals out here, or was it one of those robots? She didn't know anymore. She was completely out of her element! Now what?! There was no way she could make it back to the house from here, let alone find where the town was!

"Precious child…" a voice suddenly said, low and hushed. Kalinka nearly leapt out of her skin. "You're clearly exhausted."

"Wh-Who are you?" she asked, looking around. "Sh-Show yourself!"

"Such is the way with you mortal creatures." the voice spoke again, Kalinka torn between what to do. Should she make a run for it, or wait?

Unfortunately for her, she didn't get to make that choice.

An arm seized her, dragging her back. Before she could release a cry out, a cloth covered her face, her nose immediately registering that it was covered with some sort of chemical. Kalinka struggled, yet, to her dismay, her body began to grow weary and sluggish, her eyes drooping against her will as everything began to fade away. Soon, she was rendered completely unconscious, her attacker taking her in his arms.

"Ah. So, she has been found." a voice said, the figure turning to see Pharaoh Man approaching him, along with the other three, Proto Man adjusting his scarf.

"Fancy that you would show up now." Ring Man noted. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah!" Bright Man said, still clearly embarrassed. "We could've used you back there! She was a slippery one!"

"Look, what matters is that she's in our grasp now." Proto Man chided everyone. "Now we can go and get out of here. C'mon. Wily's not exactly a patient guy." Everyone could agree with that, they all went off in the direction the Skulker Ship had landed. The newly constructed robot gave Proto Man a stare with his reddened eyes, making the scarf wearing robot somewhat off put. "What are you staring at? Go on, get going."

The other robot said nothing, but nonetheless, traveled in the same direction as the others, leaving Proto Man alone.

Proto only sighed. Today had just started already, and it had been nothing but trouble. He could've got up and waited for a better time to go and get Cossack's daughter, but nooo, Wily had to have her up and in their possession immediately! And even more, he wasn't even ready with the last of the 'trials' planned out for his 'dear brother'. Knowing Wily, he was ready, or rather, his new 'partner' was ready to make their debut announcement soon, and then...well, he would simply have to see how things went from there.

Then, a thought crossed his mind: the bird. He pondered whether or not it was still trapped underneath that branch, and even more, whether or not he should go back and finish the job. Yet ultimately, he decided that it wasn't worth it. After all, what could that thing possibly do, peck him to death?

With that, he followed the other four Robot Masters back in the direction the dear 'Doctor' was. The trek would be a few miles, yet they would get there in time. He could only hope though, that these bothersome musings would leave him soon.


	2. The Strange Case of Dr. Cossack Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At a convention, the missing Dr. Cossack makes a very unsettling announcement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cross posting from FF.Net. Please give your input.

Maxim Ivanov was NOT having the best of days. His hazel eyes darted at the several screens that several of his subordinates were stationed at, all surveying different portions of the country of Russia, as well as that of the chilled tundra that was Siberia. And speaking of Siberia, "Anything?" he asked a man by one of the panels.

"No, sir." he answered. "The signal's completely gone." he gestured to the screen, it seemed to display little more than a barren, snow covered field, high, steep mountains not far behind it.

Maxim tightened his lips. "And I suppose there's no sign of 'him' either, is there?"

"...no, sir." the same man said. "It's like he's completely disappeared off the map."

"Then we're not searching hard enough." the ivory haired man growled. "Keep searching."

"Yes sir."

What had gotten Mr. Ivanov so worked up was the fact that their native inhabitant and 'dearest' pride of their country, Dr. Mikal Cossack, had disappeared.

The scientist had been a resident of their country since their days of the Cold War and USSR, even if the good doctor spent a good portion of his years out of the country before subsequently returning, surprisingly, of his own volition. Once he had proven that he was indeed quite capable in the field of robotics, needless to say, several important figures became quite interested in what contributions he could provide. And, unlike before, they weren't so willing to try and let him slip away again.

He would exit the country from time to time, that much was certain. After all, they wished to display one of their greatest scientific minds to the world with pride, yet his stays had to be limited. Within a month's time, he would have to return to Russia, lest he have a band of their secret service come and bring him back themselves. For the most part, he complied with their guidelines, and in turn, they would provide him with some benefits, notably one involving a certain house located in the dense Boreal Forests and its occupant. He was to wear a tracker at all times so that he could be monitored, and when he had to take it off, he was to have it near his person at all times. And should he try to disregard it, then...well...the resident in the house in the woods would be able to assist them in getting him back into the country somehow. Though truthfully, that was all she was good for. They could do without her, if Maxim had to be honest.

Yet now, it seemed that, despite their efforts, the man had completely disappeared.

He was last sighted in Japan, supposedly visiting a friend who was a fellow dabbler in robotics, such as himself. Yet then, he vanished. His tracker last listed him in the town of Kanazawa, yet then, nothing. Several of his men were sent to the area and set out an investigation regarding their dear scientist, asking the locals, even the one he was there to see, a man named Kenichi Kobayashi, yet he reported just as everyone else that could give them anything had: Cossack went to his hotel room, and the next morning, he was gone. He wasn't reported having checked out, and his hotel room was inspected. It appeared that, if there was a struggle, there wasn't much of one. The bed being unmade was the only thing that could be pointed out, and no fingerprints aside from his and the hotel staff could be detected.

This appeared to be some sort of kidnapping, and either the kidnapper was damn good at covering his tracks, or they weren't human.

The entire town was searched, yet there was no sign of Cossack. Searches elsewhere were conducted, and they began to try and trace the last instance of where the tracker's signal had been. From what they could gather, the signal registered that indeed, he had exited the hotel at some point, yet then, it was lost around the borders of Japan. At a considerably high altitude. Now what Cossack would be doing at such a height was anyone's guess, yet several theories began to develop.

One of which related to a particularly infamous and notorious scientist that had plagued the world with nefarious schemes.

Yet there was no proof of this, and as the search went on, Cossack's trail went cold. For a good month or so, he was missing without a trace. And if that wasn't enough, another development came: an abandoned research facility located in the Ural Mountain Range of Siberia, the mountain range extending to Kazakhstan's northern border, had up and disappeared too! Or rather, it had been covered with a camouflaging concealer, as it appeared that one day, it was there, the next, it was nothing but mountains. They sent several units out to the area to investigate, yet all of them were wiped out, many lucky to have escaped with their lives. Apparently, whether they be cannons or some other weapon, blasts of highly concentrated energy shot out at the invaders, clearly wishing to drive them off. So far, any attempt to move forward was met with failure, the sensors that had been installed in the once desolate facility detecting all present threats.

There was no way to say for sure, yet Maxim found himself believing that perhaps, just perhaps, these three elements were somehow connected.

And soon, he would realize just how right he was.

**New York City**

Well, at least they weren't the only source of 'entertainment' here.

Currently, the 'Light Family' were setting up a presentation from behind the thickened curtains of the stage. "Ok, hold on, little guy." a blonde, housekeeping robot urged the small, tiny thing currently running his little heart (or core) out in his wheel. "You're going to get your chance to show off to everyone what you can do." the small, metallic creature in the glass container looked up and gave an excited squeak, continuing to give his wheel a few more rounds before he would really get started. She then turned to her blue armored brother. "Geez, he's been going at it since we've arrived here." she said, yet Mega Man didn't respond. "I said: he's been going at it since we've arrived here." she repeated, yet received no answer. "Mega?" she asked, going over to him. "Hey, Mega." she gave his helmet a few knocks. "Yoo hoo! Anyone home?"

"Hm?" the Blue Bomber turned to his sister. "Oh, sorry, Roll. What?"

She studied his features. "I know that look." she put her hands on her hips. "Can't get the balding old fart out of your processor?"

Mega Man sighed, leaning against the wall. Dr. Light was currently oblivious to their conversation, still busy setting up the display that would display the capabilities of his newest achievement. "He's been quiet for awhile." the blue robot said. "Much longer than he usually is."

"I thought you'd be happy with that." Roll answered. "Or are you needing to release some pent up energy on some of his mooks?" she then chuckled. "I've been meaning to give Cut Man a bit of a karate kick myself."

"Roll, I'm being serious." Mega told her. "Whenever Wily's quiet, that usually means something big's being planned."

"Like what? Another slew of evil hairdryers or a building that grows legs or walks like one of those walkers?" she suggested. "Or maybe it's got something to do with the moon again. Guy's done stuff with that, what, twice now?"

Mega didn't find any humor in any of her recountings of previous encounters. Well, ok, maybe a few. The one with the hairdryers (as well as everything from the evil hairstylist and the toasters) was pretty strange. And the one with the 'walker' (a giant squid was involved in all things), and yeah, Wily did do stuff with the moon more than once. But still, he couldn't help but sense that the madman was up to something. Something big...and, given the man's rather colorful array of ideas, it could've been anything. "I just…"

"You know," Roll began in an effort to try and talk about something else. "It's kinda a shame that those three bots had to go. Especially Doris." ah yes, Mega thought. Those three from that one convention Light presented at. A nanny, a butler, and Doris, the maid. Frankly, Doris was the only name he could think of at the moment. After the incident that several had dubbed an 'electric nightmare', the three robots were sent elsewhere due to the events that took place. They all found themselves somewhere where they'd be useful, with Dr. Light's input for them of course, yet since then, none of the three had been seen. Roll was quite disappointed at Doris' departure. "It was nice having some extra help."

"Well, if I recall, whenever she DID try to do the housework, you went through and redid everything she had done."

"Just to see if she missed anything." Roll clarified. "Just because I wanted some extra help doesn't mean I need help better than me." she then flipped her hair. "I am the top cleaner in existence, thank you very much." she then gave a small punch to the air. "Besides, it compliments my fighting style well."

Mega Man only rolled his eyes. He knew well that was coming. "You know, there's nothing WRONG with just being the best cleaner." he murmured. He didn't mean it to put her down, let alone tell her that was her only place. Even as a machine, he knew that one NEVER said such things to a woman, robot women included. Yet still, her insistence on continuously jumping into his line of work worried him greatly. Sure, she displayed annoyance at his reluctance to include her, yet what else could he do? Was it not his function to take care of whatever Wily had planned? And not to mention, was it not his role as a big brother to make sure his sister didn't go and get herself banged up or worse? True, perhaps he could be overbearing about it, but still…

"All right, it's time!" both he and her heard their creator call out. "Is he ready?"

Roll gave a tap on the container, the small thing in the wheel stopping for a moment. "Ready and revved up to go, Doc." she said. She then placed a cloth over the container.

"Excellent! Now, places everyone!" Mega and Roll stood somewhat off to the side, the curtains then opening up and presenting their creator out to the crowd outside.

"And here with his next contribution to this ever growing field, Dr. Thomas Light!" the announcer said, the bearded man receiving a round of applause as he was presented to the crowd of fellow scientists and reporters covering this event.

"Greetings and salutations, fine people of New York City and all other places that you may have come from to visit this convention!" Light said. "As I'm sure many of you are aware, despite the great achievements the field of robotics had accomplished, there are still other outside factors that plague us and that must be accounted for." he explained, the fellow scientists and reporters taking in and jotting down his every word. "The resources of oil and other vital components that make up a good majority of our works is steadily becoming more and more difficult to unearth and find, and thus, we have something of an energy crisis on our hands."

From within the crowd, two robots in particular were listening in. A small, fluttering, green android with a dark face and prominent, yellow lips. He bore large, blue eyes and held a camera, capturing what was going on. The other one with his was a far more humanoid robot with bright, feathery pink hair and a white cap. She bore a red breast area and a yellow midsection with black shorts and yellow knee pads. She wore red gloves and red boots with wheels placed on either side of her heels (though her boots were flat footed). And currently, she was gripping her microphone tightly, awaiting for the moment the bearded man would stop speaking and be ready for questions. So far, her input to the news station had been little more than miniscule tidbits that probably would only be a footnote in the local paper, but this was huge. She would FINALLY get something that she could give the studio that would be worth her time. And maybe with this, she'd finally get herself up in the ranks and actually get out of possible janitorial work.

"What do you think's under there, Plum?" the green robot asked, adjusting the large camera in his hands.

"Ripot! Hush!" his partner said, continuing to listen to Dr. Light.

"So, in order to combat these issues, I have begun to delve into the proposed plan of converting already existing machines into being electricity powered. And with that, I present to you," Dr. Light removed the cover of the cage. Inside was a small, orange, mechanical rodent with a wheel akin to those one would find in a pet store, and what appeared to be a standard battery that one would find located in a standard machine. "Mariachi, the Wonder Hamster!"

The aforementioned Mariachi gave a small squeak, looking to the crowd, then back to his creator. From behind the curtain, Mega and Roll watched on. "A little on the small side in comparison to some of Doc's other stuff." Roll noted. "But hey, at least he's cute."

"As you can see here, this battery is found in that of many machines, my own creations included." Light continued. "And while they have a long life, not all batteries are created equal. Luckily, Mariachi here can charge any battery to full capacity in a matter of minutes." he then gave the hamster the signal, and the robotic rodent began running at a rapid speed, his small feet receding into his body and two pairs of wheels took their places. The cables attached to the wheel that were attached outside of the container and to the battery began to light up, energy transferring from the wheel to the battery. Immediately, the battery began to charge, the bar indicating the amount of energy it had in it steadily going up and up. The faster Mariachi ran, the faster the battery charged, everyone taking it in. The two reporter bots near the back made especially certain to capture each and every moment of this.

"Geez, look at the little guy go." Roll observed. Mega however, said nothing, seemingly staring out into space. "I said, look at the little guy go." his sister repeated, yet she still received no answer. Groaning, she went over to her brother and began lightly knocking on his helmet. "Hello? Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?"

Mega was growing somewhat annoyed with his sister's attempts to get his attention, yet before he could answer or tell her to cut it out, suddenly, all the lights in the building went out. Immediately, cries of panic and questions as to what was going on rang out throughout the area. Plum and Ripot in particular were quite taken aback, the smaller, green one getting somewhat frightened. Plum, on the other hand, was getting rather excited, pondering as to what this could mean. If this was something to do with some outside force, presumably Dr. Wily, then she'd have a first hand view of it and even better, have Ripot to capture it on camera! Granted, just so long as there was TOO much damage. While it'd make for quite an explosive story, she'd prefer to not have half the city destroyed or something worse. Mainly because that'd probably mean the studio would get wrecked. Thus, again, the mop and broom would be in her hands.

"What's going on?" Roll asked aloud, Mariachi stopping his running and looking around inquisitive, giving a small squeak as if to ask the same question.

"Bet my circuits it's him." Mega Man said, eyes peeled and looking for anything suspicious. Suddenly, an image flashed up on the large projector screen that lay behind Light. Everyone was momentarily blinded by the sudden light that came up. The screen displayed static at first, yet steadily formed an image: a middle-aged, brunette haired man sporting a mustache and beard sporting a collared, yellow shirt and green tie underneath a lab coat similar to Dr. Light's. His green eyes hidden behind glasses stared outward at the shocked crowd, some recognizing who it was.

"It...it's Dr. Cossack!" Plum shouted, just as surprised as Ripot that they were even seeing this.

"As in, THE Mikal Cossack?!" a human man asked the reporter, she just as shocked as he and everyone else was, yet nonetheless nodded. "He's been missing for some time! What's the meaning of this?"

Everyone then went silent, the man on the screen clearing his throat. "Greetings, my fellow contributors of science and fine people that may be present upon me delivering this message." Cossack spoke, his tone indicating a good degree of exhaustion, as if he had been going without sleep for some time. And it wasn't just that. His brow twitched, black circles were under his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken in, making his face have something of a bony appearance to them. Everything about him just seemed off. "I apologize for my abrupt appearance, as well as any confusion that I may have caused, but I have a very important message to deliver. One to a Dr. Thomas Light."

"What?!" Roll exclaimed, Mega remaining quiet and continuing to listen.

"As you may be aware, you are considered one of the founding fathers, as well as one of the most regarded voices and pioneers in the field of robotics." Cossack paused for a moment, as if to recollect himself. "Yet it is due to this that you have taken attention away from those just as deserving. Those such as myself. For years, I have slaved away for my country, creating my own line of Robot Masters to represent the nation of Russia. Yet my efforts were overlooked by the world in favor of yours." it seemed that each word of his was strained, as if he didn't wish to be speaking, let alone delivering this message. "So, I issue you a challenge to see which of us is truly deserving of the recognition of the world." he took a moment to adjust his glasses. "In the country of Siberia rests a citadel. I shall remove the protective barrier around it so that your grandest creation, the Blue Bomber himself, Mega Man, can pay a visit there. He is to enter and combat my greatest creations, and truly test whether or not he is one worthy of his title as one of, if not your greatest creation."

Mega Man bit his lip. Did he have to say such things in front of everyone? True, it was something that Light had told him often, yet he said such of Roll as well. He noticed his sister averting her gaze from the screen, clearly affected by what Cossack had said. "I...I don't understand." he heard his creator stammer. "What...what is this?"

"Should you fail to comply with my demands, then I shall release my newest creations upon your country, starting with you very own New York City." Cossack continued. "The distance between our countries is vast, yet I shall give you twenty-four hours. Should your blue robot not arrive during that time, then I shall have to make my move." he then paused again, releasing a heavy sigh. "I shall await you at the citadel. Only you and you alone are welcome. Any other outside forces shall be terminated on sight. Make your decision. I bid you all farewell."

And with that, the screen's image went to static again before shutting off.

**Siberia**

The bearded man sat in the chair, gripping the rests as he heard a figure approach him from behind. "There, it's done." he snarled. "Are you satisfied?"

"More than." the figure said, resting a hand on Cossack's shoulder, much to the younger man's disgust. "You're a rather gifted speaker."

Cossack hissed and turned, jostling Wily's hand from its place. "Bastard." he snarled.

"A bastard that'll have your daughter here soon." Wily added. "What'd you call her again? Your Malyshka, or something? Honestly, Russian is so specific on what emphasis you have to put on where."

"It means 'baby girl'." Cossack clarified. "And seeing as I've done my part of the bargain, you will see to it that my baby is unharmed."

"Oh, relax, Mikhal...may I call you Mikhal?" Cossack didn't answer. "Your brat's going to be just fine. I implemented the Laws of Robotics into ALL my creations."

"Lest they get tired of and decide to try and get rid of you." the spectacle wearing man answered.

Wily's humor died, his brow furrowing. "They wouldn't dare." he said, voice low and almost a growl. "They can't survive without me." he then thought of the perfect comeback for Cossack. "Unlike your previous line. In fact, last time I checked, they're doing just fine without you."

Cossack didn't speak a word at that. Indeed, that incident had been quite the mark on his record, both with himself AND his 'dear' government. Immediately after that, they put him to work again despite his protests. Besides, lest his daughter get involved, he had to submit to their demands. "I've dealt with men just like you. You're far from intimidating, let alone telling me anything new. The only difference is that you don't have any authority over me."

Wily clenched his fist, clearly insulted. "If that's the case, then why do I have you in this room right now, in this frozen wasteland? Why are you about to confront that blue boy in however many hours?"

"Assuming he'll come."

"Oh, he'll come." the balding scientist retorted. "You essentially threatened the entire nation, and thus, his family. At least one of those things will really get his blue ass in gear. Speaking of, you should probably start getting everything ready in case he decides to start his journey right now." Wily gave Cossack a pat on the back as if he were a friend, the younger scientist flinching and tempted to swing and get the man as far away from him as possible.

Nevertheless, he had to stay his hand. He had stayed it ever since he had come back to this miserable place, it seemed. Mikhal despised his country and his government, and only obeyed them due to 'her'. All he did, he did for her.

And now, it seemed that, despite another being at the helm, his current situation was no different. Only now, a direct action against his child had been made.

**New York**

**Convention**

Suffice to say, everyone was speechless as to what was heard. There was chattering and discussions going on as to what was going on, let alone what had just happened. Questions were abound and the entire space became a collection of voices.

It was too much for him to take.

Dr. Light, despite the fact he would consider such behavior rude, shoved and pushed his way through the crowd who were now trying to ask him questions, Mega and Roll following him and trying to shield him from everyone else. One in particular was a pink haired reporter that Roll promptly shoved back and made a flicking motion to the smaller green robot holding the camera.

Light needed some air.

Stationed by a few bushes outside of the building was a red, robotic dog that was anxiously waiting for the rest of his family to return. Apparently, his small 'slip up' (that totally WASN'T his fault, how was he supposed to know he wasn't supposed to chase the robot cat?) at the last convention was the last straw, and thus, he was to wait outside this one until the three that entered came back out. So at the sound of the doors opening, the canine immediately got excited, rushing towards the stone stairway that led up to the building's entrance. To his delight, he saw Mega, Roll, and Light come down the stairs hurriedly, yet the dog's joy soon turned into confusion at the looks on their faces.

"Mega?" Rush barked out, his voice had a very distinct sound to it, and his vocabulary wasn't the most eloquent either. Nevertheless, he was just who the Blue Bomber was looking for. "Rhat's going on?" his 'w's sounded like 'r's, very much like that of a famous cartoon Great Dane.

"Get your jets up and running, boy!" the blue robot called out, Rush looking and seeing the large crowd of reporters coming their way.

Giving a yelp, Rush wasted no time in shifting into jet mode and allowed Mega Man to hop on his back while Roll and Light made their way to their hovercraft that was parked in the back lot.

"Mega Man! Mega Man!" he heard a feminine voice call out, he turned around to see Plum and Ripot going at top speed to try and catch up, leaving everyone else in the dust. The pink haired reporter skated on dark wheels situated on either side of her heels (her boots were flat footed however). "Care to make a statement?"

He kept a straight face, yet inwardly, he groaned. Normally, he had no problem with the press, yet he couldn't deny that they chose the most 'opportune times' to start asking questions. "Well, I guess the next thing on the agenda is to do some globe trotting!" with that, he silently urged Rush to go faster, the hovercraft in the air as well. Soon, both flew off, leaving Plum and the rest of the anxious crowd behind.

**Light Residence**

"Any sign of them?" Roll asked, Mega Man once again looking through the peephole of the door.

"Nope. Nothing." her azure colored sibling answered.

"Good." the blonde sighed. "Guess I don't have to punch anybody out yet."

"You know we can't do that." Mega answered. "Most of them are human, and I don't think either me or Doc wants to see you in a mug shot."

Roll leaned up against the wall, drumming her fingers on her arm. "I told him that we should've put up that electric fence. At least it'd keep Mrs. Kitchener's dog from peeing all over the place." she then looked at Rush, who had begun clawing at the door at the mention of the older woman's pet.

"Sorry, boy." Mega Man told his dog. "I don't think her pooch is into robots."

Rush's ears lowered as he gave out a whimper. Yeah, it didn't make much sense for him to have the eye for an organic creature...yet he couldn't help it! Robot dog or no, he had his needs!

Though at the moment, relations such as that were far from the biggest thing on everyone's mind.

"He's been cooped up in the lab ever since we arrived." Roll noted. Ever since they had made it back home, Doc made it clear that he didn't want to be disturbed. Despite both her and Mega's protests, they were delivered the ultimate command: an order directly from their creator that he was to be left alone. Programming dictated that they were to obey, regardless of any hesitation or reservations on their part. Of course, that didn't prevent either of them from disliking it. "Why's he acting like this?"

"Don't know." Mega admitted, just as clueless as his sister was. He then looked out the window, observing the skies outside.

"You going to do it?" Roll asked, her brother knowing well what she was referring to.

"...I get the feeling I'll have to." the blue robot admitted. "You heard the man."

"But?" Roll asked, knowing well where her sibling was going with his statement.

"But...I think there's something more to it."

"Like a certain old loon?" Roll quirked a blonde brow. "Ok then, how so?"

Mega bit his lip. "I'll admit...I don't know." he said. "But this just REEKS of one of his schemes. Something's up with all this, and I gotta admit, it looks like I've got to be the one to find out." he then looked to Roll, seeing a familiar glint in her eyes. "And by 'I', I MEAN 'I', as in me, not 'us'."

The blonde housekeeper furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"You know why, Roll." Mega sighed. Again with this song and dance.

"Why?" she repeated.

"You're not equipped for things like this." her brother answered firmly, though he found himself unable to look at his sister. If he saw her expression, he would've faltered in his words. They had gone over this several times, ever since he had gone under the alteration from Rock to Mega Man. And it seemed that she wasn't going to quit now. "You have no means of defense, and no, a utility arm does NOT count."

"How? It's basically a swiss army knife! In my arm! Speaking of," her hand then sunk into her forearm and a pair of whisks popped out, tied together.

"What...is that?" Mega asked, perplexed.

"It's a pair of nunchucks, duh!" Roll exclaimed, doing some tricks and maneuvering them at a speed that, while impressive, didn't move Mega's stance in the slightest. "And that's not all!" she shoved them back into her arm and out popped a mixer, only it was backwards.

"And...those are?"

"Watch." Roll said, closing one eye and aiming. "Uh, you might wanna move."

"Wha-" Mega got no more out before she shot the mixer forward, it zoomed just mere inches above her brother's helmet before it landed right in the wall. "Geez, mind watching it a bit?!"

"Sorry." Roll said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I've been working on the aiming part." she then went over to collect her makeshift 'dart'. Then she saw the hole it left. "Oooh...yeah, that's gonna need to be patched up. Note to self: get some plaster." she noticed her brother's raised brow, as well as amused grin. "Look, I just don't understand why somebody can't come along with you."

"Someone is coming along." Mega answered.

"Rush doesn't count." the dog gave a small whimper. "Eh, no offense, boy. But I'm talking about 'two-legged' types."

"Roll, you're not going." Mega Man told her. "And I think Doc will agree with that." the blonde looked hurt by this. "Please, don't look at me like that."

"I'll look at you any way I want."

"Roll, I'm not saying this just because I don't want you to come along."

"Maybe you do." Roll then responded. "Maybe you're just wanting to hog all the glory for yourself."

"Now hold a minute-"

"Yeah, then why don't you let me ever go with you? Why don't you ever let me help you out?"

Mega sighed. "Roll, we're getting off topic."

"I say that this fits perfectly with what we're talking about." she retorted. "I mean, this Cossack guy, he's clearly got some stuff waiting for you, so why not take along some help?"

"Roll, you KNOW why. It's too dangerous."

"You mean that I'll just get in the way."

"No! You know I…ugh." Mega sighed. Then, he opened the door, Rush coming out with him.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?!" Roll questioned, running after him.

"If I'm going all the way to Siberia, I've got to probably get going, right?" sensing what the Blue Bomber would need, Rush transformed into his jet mode, Mega in turn hopping on. "Tell Doc I'm gone, ok?"

"Hey! You can't just get out of this like that! I'm not done talking to you!" Roll protested.

"No time! Gotta go! See you later!"

"Mega!"

With that, Rush zoomed away, Roll chasing both the dog and his rider on foot until they vanished from sight. "Yeah, well...well...well I hope you get snow all up in your circuits!" She glowered, then sighed, downcast. She began to make her way back to the house, but then, to her surprise, she saw a car pull up in the driveway, two individuals exited the car. One was an older man with brown hair and a sizable green trench coat, beige pants, dark brown shoes, and a white, collared shirt with a red tie. His features were worn and firm, chin broad and brow seemingly kept in a permanent state of disappointment. The other was a tan skinned woman with short, flipped out, red hair, she wearing a blue outer with a star embezzled on her right arm, a pink shirt underneath the outer. She wore a yellow choker, blue jeans, and white boots with dark blue heel counters and vamps. "Um...hi?" Roll greeted, clearly confused. "Can I...help you with something?"

"Is he here?" the man asked gruffly.

"Excuse me?" the blonde housekeeper asked, not exactly liking the man's tone.

"Is he here?" the man asked again. "Dr. Light?"

"Why?" Roll asked, growing suspicious.

"Answer the question. Is he here?" the man repeated.

"And I'll ask why you want to know." Roll answered back, putting her hands on her hips.

"Gil, that's enough." the woman stepped in. "Sorry about that. He's a bit...stuffy at the moment."

'More like he's got something 'stuffed' up somewhere where the sun don't shine.' Roll thought.

The woman then pulled out a badge, as well as the man. "Agents Gilbert Stern and Roslyn Krantz." she explained. "We're here to see your creator."

"And the sooner, the better." the man, Stern, said.

It was just a hunch, yet Roll had an idea as to why they were here. "This is about what happened earlier, isn't it?"

Both of them nodded in unison. "We just want to ask the Doc a few questions." Stern told her, voice still firm, yet it bore some noticeable gentleness in comparison to earlier. Then, he began looking around. "Is 'he' here too?"

Roll was puzzled at first, yet then understood who the man was talking about. "If you mean my brother, he just left."

Both Stern and Krantz grew quiet at this, neither saying anything for a good moment or two. "So...I guess that means Cossack's Challenge is underway." Stern noted gravely.


End file.
